What Is Contract Redlining Software? Benefits, Features & Top Tools

Manually redlining contracts, tracking edits, and ensuring nothing slips through the cracks often slow down your contract workflow. The longer it takes, the more it costs your business—sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A 2023 World Commerce & Contracting Association report found that inefficient contract management can cost businesses up to 9.2% of their annual revenue.

But there’s a smarter way. Contract management software, like HyperStart CLM, automates the redlining process. It makes tracking changes and collaborating in real time easier, helping you accelerate negotiations without overlooking essential details.

In this guide, you’ll understand redlining software, how it works, and why it’s essential for any business that wants to move faster and stay ahead.

What is contract redlining software?

Contract redlining software is like having an assistant to keep track of all the back-and-forth edits during contract negotiations. Instead of getting lost in endless email chains or dealing with multiple versions of the same document, this software shows you exactly what’s been changed, who made the changes, and when.

As contracts go back and forth, each side can suggest changes, and the redlined version makes it easy for the other party to review, accept, reject, or adjust those edits. Usually marked in red, the changes stay clear and easy to follow.

What makes redlining software different from traditional tools?

Using traditional tools like Microsoft Word or Google Docs for contract redlining presents several challenges—many of which can slow down negotiations and introduce errors. While these tools offer basic tracking capabilities, they lack the collaborative functionality required for fast-moving legal and sales teams.

Let’s compare traditional tools to redlining software:

For example, a legal team reviewing a service contract in Word may need to manually save, send, and track different versions across email chains. With redlining software, every edit is automatically saved and accessible to all parties in real time, reducing time spent managing versions and preventing confusion.

Most redlining software integrates with Microsoft Word and Google Docs, offering real-time tracking, version control, and seamless e-signature workflow integration.

What are the benefits of using contract redlining software?

There are 6 key reasons why contract redlining software is a game-changer, especially for legal and sales teams. Here are some of the major benefits:

1. Collaborate in real time

Contract redlining software creates a virtual workspace allowing everyone to edit and add comments in real time. This means you can address questions and concerns as they arise, significantly speeding up the negotiation process.

Instead of waiting days for email replies, you get immediate feedback, making discussions more dynamic and productive. It’s all about fostering a sense of teamwork that keeps everyone engaged and moving forward together.

2. Eliminate version confusion once and for all

Have you ever lost track of which version of a document you were working on? It’s frustrating, right?

This issue is solved through streamlined version control. Each time someone makes a change, it’s automatically saved, and you can see the entire history of edits.

You’ll know exactly who made what change and when, which helps eliminate confusion. This transparency enhances accountability and ensures everyone is aligned on the latest updates.

3. Keep the data in check

Data loss during negotiations can lead to missed opportunities and misunderstandings. Redlining software captures every change and comment in a centralized location, reducing the risk of losing important information.

Unlike traditional methods that rely on email chains where crucial details can easily get overlooked, this software keeps everything organized and accessible.

You can quickly revisit past discussions and see how the contract has evolved, ensuring no requests or modifications are forgotten.

4. Customizable approval workflows

Not all contracts are created equal, and neither are the people involved in their approval.

With customizable approval workflows, you can tailor the process to fit your organization’s specific needs. Set clear rules on who needs to review which parts of the contract and at what stage, streamlining approvals for faster, more efficient outcomes.

For instance, a specific department like legal or compliance can be automatically involved at the right stage, ensuring necessary approvals are completed without delays.

This feature improves the efficiency of the approval process, speeding up contract finalization.

5. Cut down on manual work and errors

Handling contracts often involves tedious manual tasks that can lead to costly errors.

Contract redlining software automates many repetitive tasks associated with editing and reviewing contracts, significantly reducing the likelihood of mistakes.

Automated alerts remind stakeholders of pending reviews or deadlines, ensuring that no steps are missed. This automation allows your team to focus on strategic work and negotiations rather than administrative tasks.

How does contract redlining software work?

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how contract redlining works:

1. Document upload

Users upload the initial contract document, typically in formats like Word or PDF, into the contract redlining software. The software converts the document into an editable format while maintaining the original structure, ensuring smooth formatting transitions for contracts like NDAs or sales agreements.

2. Collaboration invitation

The contract creator invites relevant stakeholders—legal teams, counterparties, or clients—to collaborate on the contract. Stakeholders receive access to the document with customizable permissions, allowing them to view, edit, or comment as needed.

3. Redlining and editing

Each participant can make changes directly to the contract. Redlining refers to marking up the document with changes like deletions, additions, or modifications. The software automatically tracks all changes in real-time, making it easy to see who made which edits.

4. Commenting and suggestions

Users can leave comments or suggest changes without directly modifying the document, which is useful for discussing unclear terms or making non-binding suggestions. Comments are displayed in the margins and linked to relevant sections for easy review.

5. Version control and comparison

The software saves different versions of the contract as changes are made, ensuring a detailed version history. You can compare multiple versions side-by-side to see exactly what has changed, avoiding confusion during negotiations.

6. Automated notifications and workflow

Participants are automatically notified of any changes, comments, or approval requests as they happen. Automated workflows push the contract through the appropriate stages, ensuring no steps are missed.

7. Approval and finalization

Once all parties agree on the terms and changes, the final version is approved. The software ensures that all edits are either accepted or rejected before marking the document as finalized, streamlining the finalization process.

8. Electronic signature integration

After final approval, the document is prepared for signatures. Many redlining software tools integrate with e-signature platforms, ensuring that contracts are signed quickly and securely without printing or scanning documents.

5 key features of contract redlining software

Contract redlining software comes packed with features designed to make the contract review process smoother and more efficient. Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the most useful ones:

1. Real-time tracking of changes and edits

Every time someone makes an edit—whether it’s adding new terms, revising boilerplate clauses, or deleting an indemnity clause—the software automatically tracks and highlights the change so no one misses a thing. This is often referred to as track changes, which ensures complete visibility of alterations made by any party.

2. Collaborating with multiple users

Multiple people can work on a contract at once, with their edits and suggestions visible to everyone. Whether it’s a sales manager updating pricing terms or legal adding an escalation clause, everyone can stay aligned.

The system also offers counterparty visibility, so you can see what the other side is proposing in real-time.

3. Automatic markup of proposed changes

Instead of manually marking up documents, the software does it for you, making it easy to respond to proposed changes right away. Teams can accept or reject changes on the spot, saving time and effort.

Additionally, non-negotiables like a force majeure or confidentiality clause can be highlighted and locked, ensuring key terms aren’t overlooked or accidentally modified.

4. Clause library for quick access

Legal teams can create a clause library to store commonly used provisions, from boilerplate clauses to specific terms like an indemnity clause or escalation clause. This library makes drafting contracts much faster and ensures consistency across all legal documents.

5. Legal review and version control

With built-in version control, you can see how a contract evolves over time and ensure the final draft is reviewed properly by your legal team.

Whether it’s a legal review of an updated indemnity clause or tweaking non-negotiables, the software keeps track of every detail.

How to choose the right contract redlining software

Finding the right tool is key to improving your negotiation workflow and ensuring your contracts are efficient, accurate, and compliant.

Here are key factors to help guide your decision:

1. Ability for multiple users to work on the same contract

When you’re on the hunt for redlining software, the first thing to think about is its core functionality. Sure, it’s great to have the basics like marking up contracts with comments, highlights, and strikethroughs, but let’s go a bit deeper.

Look for advanced features that can really make your life easier, such as version control and comparison tools. You want software that lets multiple parties dive into the contract at the same time. This way, you can negotiate more efficiently and cut down on those lengthy turnaround times.

Plus, a good redlining tool should track changes over time, giving you a clear audit trail to prevent any disputes down the line.

2. User-friendly design for easy navigation

A user-friendly interface can work wonders for efficiency and keep the training time to a minimum.

You’ll want intuitive software that allows you to navigate it with ease.

Look for robust tools that let you add comments, suggestions, and annotations right on the contract. This makes communication and feedback crystal clear.

And if you can customize the software to fit your specific preferences? Even better. That little extra touch can really enhance usability.

3. Integration capabilities for a seamless workflow

It’s important that your redlining software plays nicely with other tools you’re already using, like email, calendars, or document management systems. Seamless integration can help you streamline your workflow, cutting down on those tedious manual tasks and boosting your overall efficiency.

4. Software that adapt with your evolving needs

As your business expands, so does the volume of contracts you’re handling. So, think about scalability. You want software that can keep up with your growth without skipping a beat.

Look for options that offer flexible pricing plans and features that can adapt to your evolving needs. It’s all about future-proofing your choice.

4. Reliability and customer satisfaction

Finally, don’t forget to check out customer reviews and testimonials. They’re a goldmine of insight into the vendor’s reputation and users’ satisfaction with the software. Pay attention to feedback regarding reliability, performance, and customer support. After all, you want to partner with a software provider that’s got your back when you need help.

Checklist for Evaluating Redlining Software:

Transform Your Contract Management with HyperStart

HyperStart is designed to streamline the contract review process for fast-paced teams. It offers robust collaboration tools and intuitive features that make it easy to adopt. It’s ideal for small—to medium-sized businesses looking for a contract management solution without a steep learning curve.

Contract redlining features in HyperStart CLM include:

With HyperStart, you can cut contract review times, eliminate manual errors, and ensure smooth collaboration across teams.

Don’t just take our word for it – see it in action. Book a demo today and discover how easy contract redlining can be with Hyperstart CLM at your side.